Transfer of Credit Policy and Procedures

Prospective students transferring to Post University from an accredited two-year or four-year educational institution, may be considered for transfer credits for courses with a grade of "C" or above. Prospective students transferring from a four-year institution may have up to 90 credits towards a bachelor's degree and up to 45 credits towards an associate degree considered for transfer. From a two-year institution, up to 75 credits towards a bachelor's degree and up to 45 credits towards an associate degree will be considered for transfer. No more than 75 credits can be accepted from a two-year college. If a student has earned an associate or bachelor's degree from an accredited two-year or four-year educational institution, credits from courses with a grade of D or higher may be considered for transfer. In addition to official transcripts, prospective students may be requested to submit a catalog description for the course(s) being considered for transfer. In some instances, a course syllabus may be necessary if the course description lacks enough definition. Faculty (or designee) from the program of study into which the prospective student is transferring will make the final decision on the acceptance of credit.

Prospective students may have up to 9 credits considered for transfer into a graduate program. Only courses with a minimum grade of “B” will be considered for transfer. In addition to official transcripts, prospective students must submit a catalog description for the course(s) being considered for transfer. In some instances, a course syllabus may be necessary if the course description lacks enough definition. The Program Chair from the program of study into which the prospective student is transferring, will make the final decision as to the acceptance of credit. Credits from Internship, Practicum, and other field experience courses taken at other schools cannot be transferred into Post University graduate programs.

Credits completed at foreign institutions recognized by that country's Ministry of Education may be considered for transfer. Prospective students must arrange for transcripts and any other requested supporting documentation (course descriptions, catalogs, etc.) must be translated into English and evaluated into United States standards of higher education, if applicable, and the translated and evaluated version should be forwarded to Post University.

Post University evaluates military transcripts for military experience and can award credit based upon the military career experience and rank of the service member. We follow the recommendations of the American Council on Education (ACE) in the transfer of credit for military training and experience. Military transcripts include the following:

• Joint Service Transcript (JST)
• Community College of The Air Force (CCAF)
• American Council of Education Registry Transcript System (AARTS)

Additionally, Post University will review personal training records for military credit, examples include:

• Enlisted Record Brief (ERB)
• DA 1059 forms

For civilian colleges, we follow Post's general transfer of credit policy and Prior Learning Assessment:

• Transfer of Credits Policy and Procedure
• Prior Learning Assessment

A maximum of 90 transfer credits for a baccalaureate degree, 45 transfer credits for an associate degree, or 9 transfer credits for a graduate degree, may be applied based upon a review of a military student's Joint Service Transcript (JST).

Prospective students are subject to the following guidelines:

• Bachelor’s Degrees: Up to 75 percent of the required credit hours for graduation may be transferred. Applicants holding a bachelor’s degree in another field will be automatically awarded 30 general education credit hours to meet the degree requirements for the RN to BSN.
• Master’s Degrees: Up to 50 percent of the credit hours required for graduation may be transferred. Exception: Transfer credit is not accepted in project-based degree programs.  Transfer credit will not be awarded for more than 3 specialization specific courses.
• MSN-NP Specialty Track: A maximum of 18 credits is allowed as transfer credit for the first 6 MSN core courses. Transfer credit will not be awarded for any NP specialty courses. All transfer courses must have been taken within five (5) years from the date of completion with a grade of B or higher. Transfer requests from other institutions require Dean, Assistant Dean, or Program Chair approval after review of the course description, syllabus, and student transcript. Students who have earned an MSN degree will be awarded a block transfer credit for N503/N515PE. Students who have earned a MSN NP degree within the past five (5) years will be awarded prior learning assessment credit for N502, N503, and N515PE.
• Doctoral Degrees: Up to 14 percent (6 credits) of the required hours for graduation may be transferred. Transfer credits will be accepted only for doctoral courses that are equivalent in content to required courses in the DNP curriculum. Courses that are dually applied to a master’s and doctorate program at an educational institution and master’s-level courses do not qualify for transfer credit into the DNP program. Credit cannot be awarded for experiential learning for the DNP program.

For all nursing programs, transfer credit for undergraduate programs will be considered for courses completed with a grade of C or better. A numeric average of 73 percent or better is required for schools not using a traditional grading scale. Transfer credit for graduate programs will be considered for courses completed with a grade of B or better. A numeric average of 83 percent or better is required for schools not using a traditional grading scale. Provided all course objectives are met, a mismatch of one unit of credit between the degree program course and the external course is allowed.

Additional Transfer of Credit Information

Core Course Requirements

The core course requirements cover the knowledge and technical skills required for success in a program’s major subject and, typically, only course credit may be awarded in these areas. For this type of credit, the transfer credit evaluator must validate the comparability of the external coursework with the specific course. Discipline credit may be awarded for core course requirements when the dean deems it appropriate.

General Education Requirements

Post University believes in the importance of general education in helping broaden students’ perspectives and extend their range of learning. The college’s catalog defines the courses within the general education curriculum. Discipline credit may be awarded when a transferred course falls within the same discipline as a specific degree-related course even if it does not meet the strict requirements for a specific course. In most cases, American Council on Education (ACE) credit recommendations are accepted for general education credit.

Credit for Prerequisite Courses

Advanced courses frequently have prerequisite courses that cover the material required for the subsequent course. For this reason, if a student receives transfer credit for an advanced course, transfer credit is not awarded for the prerequisite course if the student did not take the corresponding course. Additionally, the requirement to take the prerequisite course will not be waived. Students who believe they have mastered prerequisite course material may request proficiency examinations.

Transfer Credit Documentation

The awarding of external transfer credit will be documented in each student’s file. Student files will include an original transcript(s) from the previous institution(s).

Post University recognizes advanced standing for superior secondary school performance as indicated by scores of 5, 4, or 3 on the Advanced Placement (AP) examinations. The Advising Office makes decisions regarding the acceptance of AP examinations for advanced standing credit. A maximum of 15 credits may be earned through AP examinations.

College-Level Examination Program (CLEP) offers examinations in courses, mostly at the introductory level. Students may earn three credits per exam passed. DANTES affords students the option to take examinations in introductory and upper-level courses, including technological areas. Examinees receive three college credits per exam based on a pass or fail formula score. The CLEP and DANTES examinations are not administered by Post University. For information concerning sites and dates, consult the College Board website (www.collegeboard.org). The official score report must be sent to Post University for credit to be granted. A maximum of 15 credits (total) may be earned through CLEP and DANTES examinations.

Upon taking the examination, the student should direct the College Entrance Exam Board (CEEB) to refer the test score report to:

Office of the Registrar
Post University 800 Country Club Road
Waterbury, CT 06723-2540
Telephone: 203.596.4615 Fax: 203.841.1152
Email: [email protected]

As part of the Prior Learning Assessment Portfolio Program, Post University allows eligible, matriculated undergraduate students to apply for college credit for life experiences and completion of select licensure examinations. Through submission of portfolios, students may earn a maximum of 30 credits towards a bachelor’s degree or 15 credits towards an associate degree. Information regarding policies and procedures is available from Academic Advising for Main Campus students or Academic Success Counselors for Accelerated Degree Program students.  Students must have five (5) years of professional experience in a chosen field to enroll in the Prior Learning Assessment course. There are certain courses and subject areas that are not eligible for portfolio credit. Please consult the PLA Administrator or Academic Advising to review any restrictions.

Post University allows undergraduate nursing students to earn general education credit hours through showing proficiency in three various humanity specific test-out courses. Students seeking their bachelor’s degree are required to complete 30 general education credit hours and these credit by exams are available for students who have not met that requirement. Humanities by exam options give students six months to pass the exam and receive credit at a cost of $125 per exam. Student can select and take one, or more of the following test-out Humanities exams to fulfill their Humanities general education requirements:

• Culture and Values:  A Survey of the Humanities. An exploration from the beginning of civilization to present of some of the world’s most significant examples of art, music, philosophy, and literature.
• Gardner’s Art through the Ages: A Concise Global History. An introduction to art history, discussed in full historical and cultural context.
• Worlds of Music: An interactive, comprehensive exploration of music fundamentals in a worldwide context.

Students are provided an ebook; the content is available for 180 days from the receipt of the material and a 125-item examination may be taken at any time during that period. Proficiency credit will be marked as such on the student’s transcript but will not be included in the GPA or rate of progress calculations. Credit is awarded when a 70% or higher is earned. Proficiency credit will be included in the timeframe measurement calculation. Students are limited to taking 3 Humanities Proficiency Tests or test-outs; unless otherwise approved by the dean or provost.

RN to BSN students will be awarded 60 credits as Prior Learning Assessment (PLA) credits in recognition of having completed a registered nurse program and passing the National Licensure Examination for Registered Nurses (NCLEX-RN). Verification of valid RN licensure will be required to receive PLA credit.

The Office of the Registrar administers the Alternate Credit Options Policy. Questions regarding the credit policy, regulations, and procedures should be directed to this office. In the case of questions regarding the viability of documentation, the final decision will be made after consultation with the Provost’s office. For graduate programs, the Dean of the school or Program Chair the program to which the prospective student is applying, will make the final decision as to the awarding of credit.

Post University graduate programs do not accept transfer credits for field practicum at the graduate level with the exception of programs offered by American Sentinel College. American Sentinel College reviews clinical or practicum experience hours completed during courses approved for transfer credit and determines transferability on a case-by-case basis. Courses approved for transfer credit that have clinical or practicum hour requirements must be made up in a practicum workroom if they are not transferred in during evaluation. Doctor of Nursing Practice applicants who provide evidence of clinical or practicum hours from an MSN or other nursing -specific degree will have the potential to transfer a percentage of those hours (maximum 400 hours) towards the 1000 practice experience hours required to graduate from the DNP program.

Post University certificate, doctoral, graduate, and non-degree seeking programs do not accept portfolio and/or life experience for credit. Undergraduate coursework will not be considered for graduate-level credit.

Post University undergraduate, certificate, graduate and doctoral programs do not accept transfer credit or course substitutions for capstone courses.

Proficiency credit for certain courses may be granted to students who hold current specific industry-recognized professional certifications. Such certifications will be reviewed by the provost, dean or a designee for proficiency credit. Where available, the ACE College Credit Recommendation Service (www.acenet.edu) should be used to assess such certifications or training. Evaluation and supporting documentation should be retained in the student’s academic file.